Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

From a Telegraph writer:

Just heard from a friend out canvassing for Labour that they doorknocked an old lady who said she'd never vote for them again because of "Hugh Gaitskell's stance on Suez". I hope to be similarly niche in my rationales one day

Always kind of love these and speak to anyone who has canvassed and every election they will find someone with an incredibly specific reason for not voting for x party

(Having said that, I could fully imagine myself in my 80s or 90s keeping the flame of some long forgotten fight of the early two thousands burning. Get door knocked by a Conservative campaigner to tell them I'll never forgive the party that appointed Chris Grayling Justice Secretary...)

[HVC]

[Sheilbh]

oh no

[Sheilbh]

Separately continue to find the NYT coverage of Britain slightly mad. After the Jonathan Pie column we're now on the cusp (according to the polls) of a Labour landslide.

Who better to explain this for their readers than Oliver Eagleton, the author of an extremely hostile biography accusing Starmer of an "authoritarian centrist" takeover of Labour (published by Verso). He's an editor of New Left Review and son of renowned Marxist literary theorist Terry Eagleton.

It's like if the Times or BBC decided to explain the US by commissioning writers solely from either Chapo Trap House or the editorial staff of Jacobin. It's so, so weird - especially in contrast to the comment pieces about, say, the US On one side of the Atlantic it's borderline right-wing disinformation to mention the President's age, on the other - is Keir Starmer a Manchurian candidate for "Britain's deep state"?

[HVC]

How exactly is someone authoritarian and centrist?

[Sheilbh]

How exactly is someone authoritarian and centrist?

I don't think that's particularly difficult.

In Eagleton's argument though Starmer was chief prosecutor with a "military-chauvinist agenda: pro-police, pro-army, anti-protester" and became aligned with "Britain's deep state" and the security services (an extension of the Pentagon and Washington's military-industrial complex). When he became an MP he then masterminded an "internal wrecking operation" to turn Labour into a Remain party and destroy Corbyn's leadership, which was a threat to Britain's deep state.

Paper of record I can only assume there's a wildly different editorial standard for US v UK comment for the NYT. I know Americans think the British press has too narrow a bound of opinion (although I'm 100% certain that in the UK it wouldn't have taken a disastrous debate performance for people to seriously talk about Biden's age) but you should have some standards.

[Sheilbh]

Exit Poll:


Worse Tory result than 1906. Not keen on that Reform number - and far, far worse than I expected for the SNP in Scotland.

Edit: Also the Lib Dems are back!

[Josquius]

I'm just hoping one of the fascists isn't in my hometown.
Dissappointing but expected to see the tories on 3 figures. Let's see.
I can certainly see the temptation to say something else on exit polls.

[Sheilbh]

If that holds up, the last time the Tories had a result that bad, the United States didn't exist

[Josquius]

If that holds up, the last time the Tories had a result that bad, the United States didn't exist

Well that's ominous for their election.

[Richard Hakluyt]

From a Telegraph writer:

Just heard from a friend out canvassing for Labour that they doorknocked an old lady who said she'd never vote for them again because of "Hugh Gaitskell's stance on Suez". I hope to be similarly niche in my rationales one day

Always kind of love these and speak to anyone who has canvassed and every election they will find someone with an incredibly specific reason for not voting for x party

(Having said that, I could fully imagine myself in my 80s or 90s keeping the flame of some long forgotten fight of the early two thousands burning. Get door knocked by a Conservative campaigner to tell them I'll never forgive the party that appointed Chris Grayling Justice Secretary...)

My wife had an uncle like that. Any political discussion with him always ended up being about Stafford Cripps and/or the travails of the Burntisland shipping company 🧐

[HisMajestyBOB]

I'd rather us be back under His Majesty Charles III and a Labour government than a Trump presidency 

[Zanza]

Maybe they should have ran a head of lettuce instead of actual candidates?

[Sheilbh]

FFS just seen that Chris Grayling has been given a peerage in the dissolution honours

[garbon]

FFS just seen that Chris Grayling has been given a peerage in the dissolution honours

T May!